| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | firearms, |
| Founded | October 1982 |
| Headquarters | Cornelius, Oregon, U.S. |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Firearms, Magazines, Speed loaders, other firearm accessories |
| Website | www.calicolightweaponsystems.com |
Calico Light Weapons Inc. (CLWS) is a privately held firearms manufacturing company based in Cornelius, Oregon. The company was established in 1982 in Bakersfield, California, and released its first production weapon in 1985. Calico was sold in 1990 but remained in Bakersfield. The company was sold again in 1991 to the original concept designer, and in 1998 operations were moved to Sparks, Nevada, where replacement parts for existing weapons were produced.
In 2006, Calico was sold once again, and moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, where full production of firearms resumed. Calico implemented a CNC machining process and upgraded materials used in manufacture. Additionally, there were minor redesigns of some production models to increase durability and reliability.
Contents |
CLWS produces a line of pistols and pistol-caliber carbines. Calico firearms feature a top-mounted, helical-feed, high-capacity (50 or 100 round) magazine that ejects spent shells from a port in the bottom, making a brass catcher more practical. The Calico 9 mm pistols, carbines and submachine guns use the Roller-delayed blowback principle used in the Heckler & Koch series of firearms.
Although reviews of the product line were very favorable, Calico has yet to secure big military and law enforcement contracts. Sales were severely curtailed by the introduction of the Federal assault weapons ban in 1994 which limited magazine capacity of newly made firearms to ten rounds. Once the legislation was allowed to sunset in 2004, Calico began producing firearms again. Calico weapons are sometimes seen in various movies and science fiction films due to their futuristic appearance. The company tagline in the 1990s was A Revolution in Firepower!.
Current
Discontinued
As of January, 2010, Calico LWS states they have begun production of tactical carbines and pistols. The Calico website and Facebook pages both state that the tactical firearms have a quad rail fore end for attaching optics, lighting, and other accessories. Models with a T suffix indicate a tactical version.